"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” – C.S. Lewis

Month: April 2017

We are all blind until we actually draw the cards, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do some planning.

Done at last. Here is the final Twinfinity mission breakdown, Highly Classified

Mission Introduction

The mission everybody loves to hate is a great exercise in list building. How many contingencies can you cover and still be effective? There are 10 classified objectives and you’ll be trying to achieve 5 of them, drawn at random. This means you’ll need a good array of Specialists.

Scoring

After shuffling, each player draws two Classifieds from the Classified deck. After redrawing any repeated cards, these 4 missions are open information and become the Main Objectives. A player gets 1 point for each Main Objective completed and gets 4 points for accomplishing more Mains than their opponent or 2 points for getting the same (provided your opponent has at least 1). There is 1 secondary Classified Objective worth 2 points (this one is private information). It is entirely possible to have an 8-8 tie on this mission.

Other Rules

Deployment is the 12 inch standard, with no exclusion zones. Neither Baggage nor Intelcom are used, but Retreat is in play. So don’t get caught up in killing and neglect pushing buttons because you might lose a turn.

Going First or Second

There is something to be said about both here. Going first can let you grab the Main Classified points and concentrate on playing defensive. Going second lets you go into the last turn, if you get one, knowing exactly what you have to do to win.

Need to Know

Of the 10 classifieds only one, Extreme Prejudice, can be done by any Troop. One more, Sabotage, can be done by any Troop with D-charges. The rest all require someone specific. A Hacker or Assault Hacker can accomplish 4 (Data Scan, Telemetry, HVT: Espionage, & HVT: Designation), the other types of Hacker can accomplish 2 (Data Scan & HVT: Espionage), a Forward Observer can accomplish 2 (Telemetry & HVT: Designation), an Engineer can accomplish 2 (Test Run & HVT: Retroengineering), and a Doctor/Paramedic can accomplish 2 (Experimental Drug and HVT: Inoculation). Your classified can be swapped out for Secure HVT (which you’ll probably need to get to anyway), but none of the primary objectives can. So it is best to cover as many bases as possible.

Your Special Person

It’s worth noting that for 3 classifieds your Specialist need to either have the enemy HVT within their Zone of Control (not hacking area) or be in base contact. Since the Secondary Classified can be swapped with Secure HVT as well, the HVT is more important in this mission than any other. If one or more of those three classifieds are Main Objectives, where you place your HVT is going have a big impact on the game. You’ll want to place the your HVT where it won’t be easy to get to. You’ll also want to put ARO pieces covering the approaches as best you can.

Last Picked for Kickball

Something to remember when making your list is that not all specialists are created equal. Obviously a Hacker/Assault Hacker is the most useful Specialist here, and all factions have access to at least one now, because of the Alive Crew. A Forward Observer can be skipped if you’ve taken the hacking option, but they are pretty numerous and usually cheap, so it doesn’t hurt to take one anyway. Engineers often have D-charges, meaning they can accomplish 3 objectives. However, the Engineer needs units with Structure to be in your list (and your opponent has to cooperate by taking them down) so they can accomplish Test Run. Killer/Defensive Hackers and Doctors are both pretty bare bones as Specialists go, with each being able to accomplish 2. Paramedics should have no problem with HVT: Inoculation, but need a bit of luck to get Experimental Drug. This means they are the least useful of the group. Taking anything less than the ability to accomplish all 10 objectives is risky. Since each Specialist type covers at least two, a bad draw would reduce your max score to 8, and make those 4 points for having more Mains very difficult to get. If 2 of the Main objectives are unattainable for you, then you’ll need to score yours and limit your opponent to one. That’s definitely playing on hard mode.

Strategery

Since the Main Objectives are open information, there are some simple things you can do to make things difficult for your opponent. Is Test Run one of the Mains? Then you might rethink putting rounds into that 8 point Sniffer bot. Are they going for Experimental Drug? Then double tap Unconscious Troops or use Shock ammo. On the other hand, be aware that you are vulnerable to these same tactics. When selecting a unit with Structure for your list, pick one that will be difficult to ignore. Try to keep units in places where they will be behind cover if they fall unconscious. Try to avoid letting models fall unconscious in your opponent’s lap. 3 of the Classifieds (Data Scan, Telemetry, and Extreme Prejudice) can be performed on Unconscious enemy models. If you Rambo a unit up to their Deployment Zone and it falls you might have given them a gift.

The Power of Positive Tactics

Be careful not to prioritize denying your opponent over trying to accomplish your own objectives. This type of negative play does not make for a particularly enjoyable game for either player and leaves little margin for error. It is best (and more enjoyable) to try to score your own points and play defensively within that context. Remember that you only get points for a tie on the Main Objectives if each player has at least one. It is also worth remembering that killing is not necessary to win this mission. So keep your priorities straight.

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” – Mamma Gump

Okay, we’re in the home stretch now. The fourth Twinfinity mission breakdown is Firefight. Let the bodies hit the floor…

Mission introduction

Seven of the Objective Points on Firefight are for killing things. So it’s pretty obvious what your focus should be. Those points can only be awarded to one player, so every point for you is a loss for them. There’s not much need for restraint here, as long as you kill more points than your opponent and keep your LT safe, victory should be yours.

Scoring

Scoring in Firefight is at the end of the game, with 4 points going to the player who killed more Army Points, 2 Points going to the player that killed more lieutenants, and 1 Point going to the player that kills more Specialists. Nothing is said about ties here, so a tie means neither player gets points. These points are all or nothing and achieving these objectives also denies them to your opponent. There is 1 point available to whoever acquired more items from the panoplies. There are 2 Classified objectives worth 1 point each.

Other Rules

Deployment Area is larger than normal at 16 inches. There is no Retreat, Baggage, or Intelcom in this mission. Not only is there no exclusion zone, the entire game board is a Designated Landing Area, which means “Any trooper with the Airborne Deployment Special Skill can apply a +3 MOD to his deployment PH Roll. This MOD is cumulative with any other MOD provided by any other rule.” It also means that the enemy Deployment Zone is no longer off limits. For this mission, AD troops can come on the board from any table edge. Specialists don’t get any direct bonuses related to scoring, but do get a slight buff on acquiring things from the Panoplies. There are 3 Panoplies on the center line, 12 inches apart from each other.

Panoplies, How Do They Work?

When in contact with a Panoply, a trooper can make a WIP roll. Pass and you can make a roll on the Booty Chart of your choice. Each Trooper cannot use a specific Panoply more than once. If the Trooper has the special skill Scavenger or Booty, they auto pass the WIP roll. If the Trooper is a Specialist, they can roll twice and keep the result they like the best. This means that The Unknown Ranger, Bandits, and Irmandinhos have profiles that get to take advantage of both of these rules, which can be fun (shopping spree!). Panonplies also allow troopers in base contact to reload any spent ammo (Mines, Panzerfausts, Crazy Koalas), by using a short skill.

Going First or Second

Whether you go first or second on this mission is down to personal preference. There isn’t much of a strategic advantage in doing either.

All You Need Is Kill

So, there’s these goodies in the middle of the table and there is definitely the temptation to run up and grab them. What’s more, there is an incentive to go up with a specialist. They can roll twice! You have two rolls to get something game breaking! Two things to keep in mind here.

1. With a couple of possible exceptions, the stuff on the booty table isn’t generally game breaking.

Most of this stuff is useful, but it isn’t really going to fundamentally change the game. Particularly considering the skill set of the type of unit that is going to get to the center of the board. There is the chance that you could grab something really good, like smoke, a motorcycle, or +4 ARM, but most of the stuff is just a nice little bonus.

2. Getting stuff out the Panoplies is not going to win you the game. Having more loot is worth exactly 1 point. However, if that specialist you sent up to grab stuff gets capped, you could lose the point you stood to gain, and remember, you get nothing for a tie on any of the kill related points. If you lose a bunch of guys trying to get more stuff from the Panoplies, you could end up gaining 1 and losing 4.

That being said, the Panoplies are fun! Imagine McMurrough on a Motorcycle, or with ARM 8, or with ODD! So have fun, but remember that the little vending machines in the middle of the table probably won’t win you the game.

Headhunting

This is a tactic that I generally stay away from, but in this mission the LT has a price on his head. So if your opponent is running one of the Sectorials that isn’t too bothered about being decapitated (Morats), you might get lucky and get a an easy shot on his LT. If they are running an obvious LT, like any of the Strategos or Inspiring Leadership profiles they’ll likely be expecting you to come after them anyway. Assassinating Specialists and Lieutenants get you (or your opponent) points, so things like Fidays and TO Camo infiltrators can be well worth taking in this mission.. I would be wary about putting too much effort into this with the rest of your list, though. Kill points are still worth more.

Watch Your Back, Jack

AD Troops can walk on from any board edge and have a considerably better chance of making a combat jump with the +3 modifier from Designated Landing Area. Make sure to keep your models positioned in ways that will give them AROs to any troops dropping in behind them. Since coming in is a full order, any AD troop will have to survive an unopposed shot if a model can react. That’s something most players will decide is not worth the risk. Give your opponent an opening though, and you could be in for a short, unpleasant game.

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Special

It might be tempting to try to deny your opponent the single point for killing Specialists by not taking any Specialists. I think this is a mistake. There are 2 classifieds for the taking, so even if you secure the HVT, you’ll likely have given up a point to deny your opponent a point. It’s also worth noting that Specialists are useful. A doctor or engineer can bring your unconscious models back, denying those kill points to your opponent. So while I wouldn’t take them just to loot the panoplies, I wouldn’t be afraid to take them if they fit your list.